Why the study?
A shortage of physician expertise and evolving scientific data since 2010 created a critical need to update ECG standards and distinguish normal physiological adaptations from abnormal findings suggestive of pathology in athletes.
Provides updated international consensus recommendations for ECG interpretation in athletes to improve the identification of conditions associated with sudden cardiac death.
Captured external expert commentary on this paper, strongest first. Original sources are linked where available.
“This consensus guideline is a major step in the cardiovascular care of athletes.”
“Currently there are no clear-cut guidelines for reading ECGs for athletes. This recommendation paper we've put together reflects years of experience and helps to provide a consensus among experts worldwide.”
“Although physicians understand that athletes have ECGs that are different, this has never really been formalized in a detailed way. So it's hardly surprising that without good guidelines, you can get inaccurate readings.”
Standardizes athlete ECG interpretation to reduce misclassification and SCD events; extends 2010 criteria with refined evidence-based distinctions.
Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the leading cause of mortality in athletes during sport. A variety of mostly hereditary, structural, or electrical cardiac disorders are associated with SCD in young athletes, the majority of which can be identified or suggested by abnormalities on a resting 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG). Whether used for diagnostic or screening purposes, physicians responsible for the cardiovascular care of athletes should be knowledgeable and competent in ECG interpretation in athletes. However, in most countries a shortage of physician expertise limits wider application of the ECG in the care of the athlete. A critical need exists for physician education in modern ECG interpretation that distinguishes normal physiological adaptations in athletes from distinctly abnormal findings suggestive of underlying pathology. Since the original 2010 European Society of Cardiology recommendations for ECG interpretation in athletes, ECG standards have evolved quickly over the last decade; pushed by a growing body of scientific data that both tests proposed criteria sets and establishes new evidence to guide refinements. On 26-27 February 2015, an international group of experts in sports cardiology, inherited cardiac disease, and sports medicine convened in Seattle, Washington, to update contemporary standards for ECG interpretation in athletes. The objective of the meeting was to define and revise ECG interpretation standards based on new and emerging research and to develop a clear guide to the proper evaluation of ECG abnormalities in athletes. This statement represents an international consensus for ECG interpretation in athletes and provides expert opinion-based recommendations linking specific ECG abnormalities and the secondary evaluation for conditions associated with SCD.
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Sharma et al. (2016) conducted a review in Sudden cardiac death in athletes. ECG interpretation standards was evaluated. Updated international recommendations for ECG interpretation in athletes provide expert consensus on distinguishing normal physiological adaptations from pathology associated with sudden cardiac death.